20 years of Linux: Looking back, forging ahead

To the average PC user, Linux technology probably doesn’t seem very revolutionary. In a market dominated by Windows, even the most bullish reports estimate that only one in 20 desktop computers runs the free and open operating system.

In the larger scheme, however, Linux is arguably one of the most influential technologies of our time. It’s providing the backbone for tech applications that are changing the way the world works and plays. The most powerful computers in the world use it to crunch complicated algorythms. Linux has paved the way for companies’ move of information into “the cloud” and for the general spirit of collaboration that has fueled everything from social networking to Wikipedia.